Man Who Filmed Death Of Eric Garner Wanted For Alleged Domestic Assault

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Desire Thompson | February 16, 2016 - 1:46 pm

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Police want to question Ramsey Orta, the man who filmed an officer using an illegal chokehold on Eric Garner, on domestic violence accusations.

The New York Daily Newsreports Orta, 24, threatened a woman described as his wife over the weekend. Orta allegedly choked her and pointed a knife in her face and said, ““Don’t you know I don’t give a f—, b—-! I’ll kill your a–. You’ll be lucky if you leave this room.”

The reported incident took place in New York’s Baruch Houses on the Lower East Side Saturday morning. A year after Garner’s death, Orta has expressed regret in recording the fatal encounter. After Garner’s death, Orta uploaded two videos to YouTube, giving national attention and visual proof to unsettling police practices against people of color.

Garner’s last words, “I Can’t Breathe” brought more attention to the Black Lives Matter movement, despite the non-indictment of Daniel Pantelo, the officer who used the illegal chokehold in the July 2014 encounter.

Speaking with TIME in 2015, Orta says police officers have harassed him and unfairly targeted since Garner’s death. He currently is facing drug dealing and weapon possession charges that happened just months after the fatal incident.

His aunt, Lisa Mercado said Orta has even contemplated suicide. “He was always an outspoken person. He’s not anymore,” she said. “He talks about, ‘Maybe I should just kill myself. I’m just hurting my entire family.’ He said he knew he was doing the right thing, but it turned out to be hell. It messed us all up.”

Garner’s eldest daughter Erica and others led a rally supporting Orta last week over his drug charges. “What’s going on here makes me confident,” Orta said about the rally. “I wake up every day and know that there are people out there to get me, and there’s also people out there supporting me. So it kind of weighs out the balance.”